Chanel’s new perfume is inspired by the cosmos and I’m starry-eyed for it

Calling all fragrance fans, a new luxury scent has landed, courtesy of Chanel. Bringing the House’s level of luxury into a powdery, floral formula called comète, it’s the latest to join the line-up of the coveted les exclusifs collection, the brand’s most exclusive and expensive fragrance range. And, luckily, I was one of the first to try it (a perk of the job, hey?).

Firstly, why is it called comète? Well, as with all of the les exclusifs collection, it stems from a character trait of Gabrielle Chanel, founder of the namesake label. “I wanted to cover women in constellations. Stars! (…) see these comets, where the head glitters on a shoulder, and the sparkling tail slips behind the shoulders to fall back down in a shower of stars on the chest….,” said the late great designer, who used stars as a key inspiration for plenty of pieces.

The most prominent celestial-inspired collection is her first high jewellery collection, presented in Paris in 1932 where a sparkling comète necklace stood out as the star of the show (pun fully intended). And it’s this necklace that inspired in-house perfumer, Olivier Polge, to create the comète perfume.

“At the beginning of each creation, you need an inspiring element, and for comète, the starting point was the idea of stardust,” explains Polge. “I’m thinking in particular of the comète necklace from the 1932 high jewellery collection, which is worn open, laying right on the skin, and reminds me of the enveloping trail of a skin fragrance,” he adds.

But what does stardust smell like? Well, according to Chanel, it’s comète. Keep scrolling to find out more about the exact scent.

How I tested Chanel comète

I’ve been spritzing this scent to see if it’s worth adding to your perfume collection (Lauren Cunningham)

I first got my hands on comète a week ago and, of course, I immediately pushed all other perfumes aside to douse myself in the luxury scent. Being part of Chanel’s most exclusive scent range, its price tag is particularly high, even for the luxury label, and it’s certainly been created with utter elegance in mind. So, how long it lasts, how well it develops, and, most importantly, what it actually smells like were all things that needed very careful consideration.

Chanel comète eau de parfum

Before I delve into what comète actually smells like, I need to ask you one key question. Would you spend more than £200 on perfume? If yes, well you’re one lucky (and very scent-dedicated) duck, so I imagine your fragrance collection includes quite the star-studded line-up of Tom Ford, Guerlain, Maison Francis Kurkdijan and, of course, Chanel. If not, then chances are comète will not make it into your everyday rotation as a 200ml bottle costs £375. So it really is an option for dedicated fragrance fans.

The bottle

Just as you should never judge a book by its cover, you should never judge a fragrance from its bottle, yet we all do it anyway. It’s unsurprising that comète comes complete in a star-embossed display box that could be a collector’s item on its own. Plus the sturdy rectangular glass bottle screams chic and comes complete with an interlocking logo on the cap.

The formula

Lending comète its high price point is the fact that it’s an eau de parfum (EDP), one of the highest concentrations of scents, meaning it’s incredibly strong and lasts a long time. I find comète to be even more impactful than many EDPs I’ve tried before, so all you need is one or two spritzes to pack a real punch. Any more than that and you’ll probably go nose blind. In terms of staying power, it lasts six to eight hours on the skin and a number of days on clothing, so one bottle should last you a good few months.

The scent

Undoubtedly, the scent of any new fragrance is the most important aspect. Although as Polge says himself, describing scents is incredibly difficult. After all, how can one really describe the smell of stardust? Well, allow me to try.

The first thing you’ll notice about comète is that it’s extremely powdery. Think comforting whiffs of baby powder that are very soft and gentle yet incredibly noticeable thanks to the inclusion of iris.

Next, there are floral notes that lend a more feminine feel without being sickly sweet from a blend of cherry blossom accord and heliotrope. And a little while later, as the fragrance develops, you’ll start to sniff darker, more musky notes that leave that long-lasting aroma on your clothes.

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The verdict: Chanel comète

If you’re looking for an incredibly luxurious fragrance that’s soft, powdery, florally and lasts an incredibly long time then I’m sure you’ll completely love the Chanel comète eau de parfum. It’s a scent that true fragrance fans can play around with, enjoying how it develops over time and deep diving into Polge’s perfumery skills of balancing different notes. However, if you’re more of a fan of vibrant, punchy or even citrusy perfumes, you may be best suited to something such as chance.

For more inspiration, check out our round-up of the best perfumes

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